Apparatus for imprinting designs on building boards



APPARATUS FOR I'MPRINTING DESIGNS oN BUILDING BOARDS Filed May 14, 1948 W. C. YORK July 22, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wil/fam. C. York Y Inventar By Y Attorney:

July 22, 1952 w. c. YORK 2,504,038

APPARATUS FOR IMPRINTING DESIGNS ON BUILDING BOARDS Filed May 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor July 22, 1952 w. c. YORK v 2,604,038

APPARATUS FDR IMPRINTING DESIGNS oN BUILDING BOARDS Filed My 14, 1948 s sheets-sheet :5

Inventor Wil/iam C. York aaa/away .3mm

Patented July 22, 1952 UNITED .STATES PATENT;[oFFIcs i APPARATUS FORIMPRINTING DESIGNS N' i v lBUILDING BOARDS r William c. York, Alexandria, va..

' Application May 14, 1948, Serial No. 27,086

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in anl apparatus for imprinting designs on building boards and more specically pertains to an apparatus for printing, incising and imprinting ornamental designs or other matter upon building boards, panels or the like.

A primary object ofthis invention is to provide an apparatus fo'rmore efliciently Yimprinting a dsign in materials such as buildingboards or the l e.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide an apparatus as set forth in the preceding object which may be readily adjusted to accommodate boards and materials of'diiferent thicknesses.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus having improved means for preventing damage'to the device by the passage of a board of abnormal thickness therethrough.

An important feature of the invention includes the provision of a supporting table inthe upper surface of which is journalled a plurality of feed rollers, and which table'is provided with spaced supporting standards for journalling therebetween and over the table an imprinting roll. Another feature of the invention includes the provision of an apparatus'` as set fgrth in the foregoing feature accompanied by a pressure roll journalled in the surface of its supporting table below the imprinting roll for receiving material therebetweenV for imprinting a design therein.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a manually operated adjusting means for simultaneously raising or lowering and thereby varying the distance of the imprinting roll with respect to the pressure roll, in order to adaptthe apparatus to accommodate boards vand materialsof different thicknesses.l

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision vof an apparatus asset forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the manual operating meansc for vertically adjustingv the irnprinting Y roll is conveniently mountedl on the under surface ofthe supporting table.

A still furtheradditional feature of the invention includes` the lprovision/of a novel means for actuating the' power roll, whichvdriving means is convenientlyv mounted beneath'the supporting table and is connected tb the power roll in such a manner as notto haveits driving engagement interferred with .or ,aiected by the vertical adjustment ofthe manual means.

A stilll further important feature of the invention envisions and .contemplates a resilient. means for adjustably and yieldingly lurging the ,imprinting roll towards the pressure roll, and I- for permitting retrogressive movement of the im- 3 claims. (c1. 10i-22) f tion lineY 5-5 of "Figure v l Iand illustrating'the bodiment of the invention;

, 2 printing roll when van abnormally thick object passes between the imprinting roll and the pressure roll, to thereby vprevent damage to the device.

A further and important feature of the invention includes the provision of a compact and novel manner for mounting the bearing blocks supporting the imprinting roll in vertically disposed guides in the support standards, and where-` inthe bearing blocks are removable from the open upper ends ofthe vertical guide channels as desired. 1 Y

And a final important feature'and object of the invention to be vspecically enumerated herein, resides in the provision of a. simple; compact, sturdy but easily serviced anl repaired construction for imprinting designs upon sheet material such as building boards orthe like.

These, together with -various ancillary features and 'objects off they invention -which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred em- Figure. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same takensubstantially vupon the horizontal plane of the section line 2-42 of Figure 4; i r

Figure 3 is -a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken substantially upon the plane of the section line3-3 of'Figure 1; 1 Figure 4 isa side elevational view` of theinven'- tion'as 'disclosed inlFigures 1-3`; 'and'- f' vFigure l5 'is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon' the y'plane "of thevr secbe'ar'ing block construction', the.- adjustment therefor, the driving and the'tensioning meansof the imprinting roll.'Y 1 .v '1 1"- AReferring now moreis'pecically toifthe' accompanying drawingsfWhei-ein` like'numerals desig` nate like parts throughout the various views, attention isdirected'rst'to Figures 4 and-5,'.wherein it WillbeV seen thatthe principles of'the invention may be most easily .attained by'providing a tableof any suitable dimensions'havinga bed or supporting surface l0, mounted upon suitable legs l2 and provided withal bottom shelf I4 for "a purpose -to be laterset forth.

As willb'e readily l` nderstood, lthe table' will be of anydesired heightgfwidth and length, in accordance With theparticular'material'which is to be"handled in theapparatus.l lCon-v'en'ie'ntly, thn liable" Will be 0f, $11011 :lngth yandy Width l21,"51'130 wood or other laminated building boards, and any generally at 20 in Figures 3 and 5, over the sur-,

Preferably substantially adface of the table. jacent the mid point of the table, one of these grooves I6 has journalled therein a pressure rollY 22 of any desired construction.

Laterally spaced vertically disposed supporting standards indicated generally at'24 and which may conveniently comprise an A-frame are suitably and rigidly supportedY in any detachable manner upon the table surface I adjacent the opposite sides thereof, for journalling therebetween in a position to overlie the pressure roll 22, the transversely extending imprinting roll 26. This imprinting roll may be of any desired construction and in itself forms no part of this invention, but' itis contemplated that the same shallV detachably receive a cylindrical or sleevelike jacket 28, splined or otherwise secured theretoV in a non-rotatable but removable manner, which member 28 upon its outer surface isY provided with any suitable ornamental design or other indicia which it is desired to imprint upon the adjacent surface Yof the material passing between the imprinting roll and the pressure roll.

On that side of the 'imprinting roll from which the sheet lof material emerges, as shown in Figure 3, there are providedva pairof supporting brackets 30 and mounted upon the table surface l0, between which brackets is journalled a transversely extending hold-down roll 32 which is so positioned as to press downwardly upon the sheet of material emerging from between the imprinting roll and the pressure roll, to thereby prevent curling up of the end of the material, and compel the same to emerge in a straight or flat strip from the imprinting and pressure rolls.

As will be seen by reference to Figures 4 and 5, each of the A-frame supporting standards 24 invcludes a vertically disposed pair of spaced, chanv nel members 34 which constitute vertical guideways that are open at their upper vends. Slidably received in these channel members 34, are bearing blocks consisting of lower blocks 36 and upper blocks-38, the adjacent surfaces of upper and lower blocks being'provided with concave seats to receive the trunnions 40 .of the axle'42 of the imprinting drum orroll 26.. Thus, the imprinting roll rests by means of the trunnions 40 upon the lower bearing blocks 36, while the upper bearing blocks 38 rest upon the trunnions, and are yieldlngly pressed downwardly thereon as set forth hereinafter.

Rotation of the imprinting'roll is effected by any suitable power source such as an electric motor or the like 44, mounted upon the shelf i4, which motor by means of a spur gear Y46 drives a gear 4B upon a shaft 50, this shaft 50 being further provided with a. sprocket gear `52 which by means of a sprocket chain 54 and large sprocket gear 56, mountedon an extension of y Y one of the trunnions 40, serves to rotate the imprinting roll. Slack inthe sprocket chain which is necessary in order that the imprinting roll l may be vertically adjusted relative to the pressure `roll as set forth hereinafter. is taken'up 4 as by means of an idler sprocket 58, mounted on an adjusting bracket 60 which is secured to the side of the table I0 and is manually adjustable longitudinally thereof in any desired man.-

ner.

Attention is now directed specifically to Figure 5, wherein it will be seen that the upper surface of the table l0, is provided Awith metallic bed plates .or the likey B2., fromV which dependby means of' bolts 64,v U-shaped'y supporting Abrackets 66 secured to the under surface of the:

table. The bed plates 62 may be conveniently provided with upwardly extending bosses 6T which are tubular and which constitutes guides to receive vertically disposed adjusting screws 68' which extend entirely through the bed plate 62, the supporting bracket 66, and at their upper ends support and carry the lower blocks 36, while their lower ends extend below the table.

Received in and supported by the brackets 66, are driven gears 10, which are non-rotatably but slidably secured upon the adjusting screws 68. as by splines or the like, not shown. YAs will be more clearly apparent by reference to Figure 2, these driven gears 10 are each. constantly in mesh with a worm gear 12 non-rotatably secured to the oppositel ends of a transverse shaft 14, provided with an intermediate bevel gear 16 engaged by a corresponding miter or bevel gear 18 aixed to the end of an adjusting shaft suitably attached as by brackets 82 to the ,under surface of the table l0, and which shaft is provided with a crank 84 whereby the shaft may be manuallyadjusted to simultaneously rotate the driven gear 'l0 and thereby simultaneously raise or lower the 'adjusting screw 68 to uniformly vertically adjust the lower bearing blocks 36 in their guide channels in the A-frames 24.A By this means, imprinting roll may be vertically raised or lowered evenly, with respect to the pressure roll, whereby the desired clearance may be introduced therebetween to accommodate any givenV material or board to be ornamentally imprinted.

It should be here noted that because of the idler pulley construction 58 and 60, the vertical adjusting means of the imprinting roll may beeffected without disturbing the driving engagement between the motor 44 and the imprinting rn,

As shown best in Figure 5, a, transverse bar 86 extends betweenthe two A--frames 24, and is retained by means of pivoted cap plates 88 which are terminally pivoted as at 90 to one side ofthe A-frame, andl are detaohably pinned or secured as at 92 to theother side thereof. A transverse leaf spring 94 is provided having its ends extending within the vertical guide channels and bearing upon the upper surfaceV of the upper bearing blocks 38, the mid portion of this transverse spring being rotatably secured to an adjusting screw 96 threaded through the transverse bar `86, which adjusting screw is provided with amanual crankv 98 by meansof which the center portion of the leaf spring 94 may be raised or lowered to thereby vary its pressure upon the bearing blocks 38. As will be readily understood, the spring may be adjusted to provide any desired load upon the imprinting roll, whereby the roll is free to move vertically and yield in response to an abnormal obstruction or thickness of material passing between the same and thepressure roll.

which are terminally secured to the opposite A- is fed between the pressure and imprinting roll, l

and asthe same passes therethrough, the powerv operated imprinting roll serves to feed the sheet of material, which is thereby imprinted with and marked by the design or indicia appearing upon the removable and replaceable cylindrical jacket 28. Obviously, it is merely necessary to remove and replace this jacket in order to adapt the device to imprint a different'design for ornamenting or embellishing building materials or the like. As the sheet of material emerges from the imprinting and pressure rolls, the same is prevented from curling up at the end and is restrained in its original fiat shape by means of the hold-down roll 32.

As above mentioned, the imprinting roll may be vertically adjusted by the manual adjusting means above described, to vary the clearance between these rolls for accommodating different thicknesses of boards to be imprinted.

Should an unusually thick piece of material accidentally pass between the rolls, the imprinted roll be lifted, the upper bearing blocks 38 sliding in their vertical guideways against the resistance of the spring 94 to permit this, whereby the thick material may pass through without damaging the rolls.

When it is desired to remove the imprinting roll either for servicing the same or for placing the sleeve 28 thereon, it is merely necessary to remove the cap plates 8B, the transverse beam 86 and the spring 94, whereupon a wedge having an inclined surface may be passed between the pressure and imprinting rolls. 'I'he passage of this wedge will lift the imprinting roll and its upper blocks 38, and if the wedge so chosen is of sufficient vertical thickness, blocks 38 will be lifted from the open upper ends of the guideways between the members 34, and the trunnions 40 will be likewise removable therefrom. At the servicing or repair, the imprinting roll may be returned to the guideways in similar manner. From the foregoing, the manner of constructing and operating the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous changesl will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of theforegoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the eXact construction and arrangement shown and described, but obviously all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims. f

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a design imprinting apparatus, a support surface having a pressure roll journaled thereon, spaced support standards 0I; Said Surface, an imclearance between said imprinting and pressure rolls, driving means for rotating said imprinting roll, said regulating means including a vertical screw carried by said surface and engaging each of said lower bearing blocks, a driven gear secured to each screw, gearing connecting said driven gears for simultaneous manual operation, and

resilient means urging the upper bearing block against the lower at each side.

2. In a design imprinting apparatus, a support surface having a pressure roll journaled thereon, spaced support standards on said surface, an imprinting roll, upper and lower bearing blocks -vertically slidable in said standards, complementary concave seats in the adjacent faces of the blocks journaling said imprinting roll therebetween, regulating means for simultaneously adjusting said lower bearing blocks to regulate the clearance between said imprinting and pressure rolls, driving means for rotating said imprinting roll, said regulating means including vertical screws carried by said surface and engaging each of said lower bearing blocks, a driven gear secured to each screw, gearing connecting said driven gears for simultaneous manual operation, and resilient means urging said upper bearing blocks against the lower, and including a bracket carried by and depending from said surface for supporting each drivengear, said vertical screws being non-rotatably but slidably connected to said driven gears.

3. In a design imprinting apparatus, a support surface having a pressure roll journaled thereon, spaced support standards on said surface, animprinting roll, upper and lower bearing blocks slidable in each of said standards, concave bearing seats in the adjacent surfaces of the blocks, said Aimprinting roll being journaled in said seats,

regulating means for simultaneously adjusting the lower bearing block to regulate the clearance between said imprinting and pressure rolls, spring means for yieldingly urging said upper blocks into pressure engagement with said lower blocks at each side.

WILLIAM C. YORK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

